Sunday, June 08, 2008

Making Kimchi.

Yeah, soon i am going to start making KIMCHI. Maybe tomorrow or the day after. So i shall post the ingredients and recipe here. Hopefully the first time i am making KIMCHI is successful and not too hot for my mummy. Recently she can't take really hot food because her tougue has wear and tear. :P

Health benefit of KIMCHI.
KIMCHI is a super-spicy condiment. The reddish fermented cabbages or sometimes radish dish - made with a mix of garlic, salt, vinegar, chile peppers, and other spices. It’s part of a high-fiber, low-fat diet that has kept obesity at bay in Korea.

KIMCHI is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections. Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of CANCER.
Credit: http://eating.health.com/2008/02/01/worlds-healthiest-foods-kimchi-korea/

Steps:
1. Handling the cabbage
cut the cabbage into 4 parts
sprinkle some salt onto each pieces of leaves
total around need 2.5 cups of salt needed
add water and soak for 2 hours
***stems should have more salt than leaves***

after 2 hours turn the pieces of cabbage over to salt evenly
this time soak for 4 hours
after 6 hours, rinse the cabbage with cold water 3 times
after that, press dry the cabbage to remove all water
do the same for 3/4 of the radish
***i suggest that you do all this before you sleep and let it soak throughout the night***
***if going to increase soak time, then have a more diluted salt solution to soak it***

2. Preparing the Kimchi paste
mix 1/2 cup of sweet rice powder and 3 cup of water into a pot
cook over medium heat and keep stirring it
stir until you see some bubbles, pour 1/2 cup of sugar
stir for one minute and let it cool down

when cool, add 1 cup of fish sauce and 3 cups of hot pepper flakes
***if u want it hotter, u can add more hot pepper flakes***
put garlic, onion and ginger into a processor
then put the mixture into the earlier mixture
add in diagonally cut green onions, shredded thin radish and carrot
the kimchi paste is done!

3. Spreading the Kimchi paste
spread paste onto each leaves of the cabbage and the whole of cabbage evenly
slightly pressing the whole cabbage to remove air
pour the remaining paste into the radish and mix
place everything into an air tight container
***place a plastic sheet onto the kimchi before covering the lid***

After that you can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented.
Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and then keep it in the refrigerator.
1 or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container.
If you see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells, that means it’s already being fermented.